Mchinji Villa and Chintheche United played out a 1-1 draw at Mzuzu Stadium on Monday, leaving both teams four points adrift of safety with four games remaining in the NBS Bank National Division League.
Villa took the lead through regular scorer Davie Juwao, but his second-half penalty miss allowed Chintheche to regroup. Robin Chioko capitalized on the reprieve, equalizing in the 86th minute to deny the visitors a crucial victory.
The visitors started brightly, with Shamiuna Watch forcing a save from Horace Banda in the opening five minutes. However, Villa suffered an early setback when Samuel Chirwa was injured and had to be rushed to hospital, with Chisomo Yakobe replacing him in the 16th minute.
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Chintheche made their first substitution in the 27th minute, bringing on Manase Mlenga for Chikondi Banda. A minute later, Watch set up Juwao for Villa’s opening goal as the visitors dominated the final 25 minutes of the first half.
The hosts emerged stronger after the break, with Thoko Kamanga testing Yakobe from distance. Owen Kalale came on for Adams Ng’oma before Villa were awarded a penalty in the 61st minute when Watch was fouled in the box. However, Justin Bonongwe produced a magnificent save to deny Juwao from the spot.
Juwao nearly grabbed his brace in the 73rd minute, beating two defenders before seeing his effort pushed away by Bonongwe. Chintheche pressed forward and earned their own penalty after Aubrey Nkhumbula was fouled. Chioko made no mistake from the spot to level the scores.
Despite desperate efforts from both sides, neither could find a winner in an intense 90 minutes.
Chintheche United head coach Kaloti Kayuni lamented his team’s missed opportunities.
“We started poorly today and were down mostly in the first half. In the second half, we missed a lot of chances that could have killed the game. This result pains me because we prepared to win,” said Kayuni.
Abel Mkandawire, Villa’s coach, disputed the penalty decision but acknowledged his team’s struggles.
“Everyone saw it was not a penalty because it was our player who was fouled. We missed ours, yes, but it happens in football. Even professionals miss chances. It’s becoming worse, but the chances are still there. With just two wins we can survive,” said Mkandawire.
Both teams remain on 19 points from four wins, seven draws, and seven defeats. Villa sit 10th with a better goal difference, having scored 21 and conceded 28, while Chintheche are 11th with 18 goals scored and 26 conceded
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